Materials
- Job Board
- Bus tub
- Kale Pesto recipe
- Lemonade recipe
Kale Pesto Station
- 3 mortars and pestles
Kale Pesto with Lemonade
Summary:
In this sixth-grade lesson, students experience cooking and eating outdoors. Instead of the usual Closing Circle in the Ramada, we enjoy fresh food and good conversation as we eat together at the long table to celebrate the last 6th grade garden class of the year.
Student Learning Goals & Objectives:
After this lesson, students will be able to:
- Read and follow a recipe and understand that some recipes are flexible and some are specific.
- Connect the kitchen experience with the garden.
- Practice basic knife skills.
Assessments:
During this lesson, students will:
- Successfully make Kale Pesto and Lemonade.
- Translate kitchen skills into cooking outdoors.
- Maintain the same number of fingers as when they started.
Materials & Prep:
- 6 cutting boards
- 8 butter knives
- 6 paring knives
- 3 chefs’ knives
- Mini juicer or measuring spoons
- Cheese grater
- Measuring cup
- 3 large bowls
- 3 wooden spoons for mixing
- Towels
- Plates for serving
Lemonade Station
- 1 pitcher
- 1 zester
- 1 knife
- 1 cutting board
- 2 juicers with two half-sheet pans to catch spillover
- Measuring cup
- 2 towels
- Wooden spoon for stirring
- Paper napkins
- Cups
INGREDIENTS: Kale Pesto
- ½ cup almonds
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- 5 baguettes
- ½ pound kale or 2 bunches
IngREDIENTS: Lemonade
- 6 cups water
- ½ cup sugar or honey
- Zest of 2 lemons
- Juice of 6 lemons
- 2 cups ice cubes
- Fresh mint for garnish
Before you Begin
- Collect all the materials
- Set up each station
- Set table nearby for eating
- Create the Job Board
- Copy the Kale Pesto Recipe for multiple students (some might want to take a copy home)
- Copy the Lemonade Recipe for multiple students (some might want to take a copy home)
Procedure Steps:
FULL GROUP, 7-12 MINUTES
1
AT THE OPENING CIRCLE
Teachers invite students to celebrate their last day in the garden as sixth graders.
- Welcome students and introduce today as their last class in the garden as sixth graders.
- Explain that you have designed a delicious way to celebrate and reflect on your time together in garden class over the entire school year.
- Divide the class into four groups: one Kale Pesto group, one Lemonade group, and two garden job groups.
- Students choose to either work in the garden or prepare food to eat at Closing Circle.
- Two groups of students will participate in garden jobs, one group will make Kale Pesto, and the other group will make Lemonade.
SMALL GROUPS, 40-60 MINUTES
2
IN THE FIELD
Garden Work Rotation or Outdoor Cooking
COOKING STATIONS
- Circle the students around the cooking area.
- Explain what they will be making and that they will be serving it to the rest of class at Closing Circle.
- Ask for student volunteers to read the recipe out loud.
- Allow students to volunteer for the various jobs.
- Prepare the dish and have it ready to serve by the end of class.
- The Kale Pesto Station will slice the baguettes, spread pesto on each piece, and place them on serving trays for the end of class.
- Be sure to leave some slices of bread plain to accommodate everyone’s tastes.
- The Lemonade Station is also responsible for setting the table with napkins and a cup of lemonade for each student, teacher, and volunteer.
GARDEN WORK
FULL GROUP, 10 MINUTES
3
AT THE CLOSING CIRCLE
Students celebrate their last garden class as sixth graders as they share food and conversation at the table.
- Have the class sit all together at the long table while select students from the Kale Pesto group serve the rest of the class.
- Each student may choose three pieces of bread to start and the rest (if there is any) is passed out to those who want seconds.
- Students and staff sit for approximately 10 minutes engaging in conversation, reflecting on their garden experience, and enjoying the delicious food.
- When the bell rings, ask students to bring their cup and napkin to a bus tub at the end of the table.
Download Lesson Materials
Academic Standards
Common Core State Standards
Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6-12
RST.6.3
Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
Edible Schoolyard Standards
In the Garden Clasroom, Grade 6
Techniques
3.2.4
Harvest and prepare crops with guidance, recognize the relationship between the kitchen and the garden, and learn the seed to table concept.
The Edible Schoolyard Program
Program
1.0
Students work with each other and teachers to develop community and personal stewardship, along with skills that will help them navigate different situations throughout their lives.
Contributors:
All lessons at the Edible Schoolyard Berkeley are developed in collaboration with the teachers and staff of the Edible Schoolyard and Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School.
